Financial Aid Application Details

Because the financial aid process can take several months, you should apply as soon as you can. You will need to apply for financial aid each school year.

DACA students apply with the Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA) for each school year.  

Apply as soon as possible with the 2026-2027 FAFSA or ORSAA  

Step By Step Instructions

• Complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov
  • Chemeketa’s federal school code is 003218
  • If you or your parent(s) that are on your FAFSA filed taxes we recommend using the IRS data retrieval tool to link to the tax information
• When we get your FAFSA information, we will send instructions to your My Chemeketa account if there is anything else we will need to have sent to the financial aid office
  • Check your My Chemeketa email or "Services" tab for financial aid requirements 

Review Process

When all the required items are complete and in our office, your file will move into the review process. This can take several weeks.

You can view what the financial aid office needs for your in your My Chemeketa account.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require Chemeketa to establish a satisfactory academic progress (SAP) policy to ensure all students receiving financial aid are making reasonable progress towards completing their degree.

You are notified of your SAP standing after SAP is calculated after the end of each term. This includes good standing, warning, denied, and probation. All communications are sent to your student Chemeketa email. 

Students who fail to make progress toward the completion of their program will not be able to receive financial aid. If you fail to meet SAP requirements due to extenuating circumstances, you may appeal. 

Satisfactory academic progress is defined as:

• Passing a required number of hours (Pace)
• Achieving a required grade point average (GPA)
• During a reasonable period of time (Maximum Time Frame)

Pace

Pace is the rate at which you complete your program. Pace is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours completed by the cumulative number of credit hours attempted. In order to graduate within the maximum time frame allowed, you must maintain a pace equal to 66.67% of your cumulative hours attempted. Only courses for which you received credit count towards completed hours. Passing grades are A, B, C, D, and P (pass).

Example: if you have attempted 15 credit hours and have received credit for nine hours, your pace would be 60% and would not meet the minimum requirement.

Overall GPA

You must have an overall (cumulative) GPA of 2.00 at the end of each term. 

Maximum Time Frame

You may not exceed 150% of the published credit hours it takes to complete your degree and remain eligible for financial aid. Students who can no longer complete their academic program within the maximum time frame are not eligible for aid. The maximum time frame goes into effect at the point when it becomes mathematically impossible to successfully complete your degree before reaching 150% of credits. This often occurs before you actually reach the maximum time frame. 

Example, an Associate of Art Oregon Transfer degree requires 90 credit hours to complete, which means you would have a total of 135 credit hours to complete your degree. If you have attempted 125 credit hours at the beginning of the term and have enrolled in your final nine hours to complete your degree, you would be eligible for aid as you will not exceed 150% of the published length of the program.

To determine the credit hours required for a specific program of study, refer to the Programs of Study in the college catalog. The maximum time frame is not increased for changes in major, double majors, second degrees, or adding a certificate in another subject area. Students who have completed all the courses required for their degree or certificate but have not yet received the degree or certificate are no longer eligible for financial aid for the degree or certificate. Repeated coursework and preparatory/prerequisite coursework are included.

Your academic records are reviewed at the end of each term in which you are enrolled to determine compliance. Federal regulations require that your entire academic history be considered, even if you have never received financial aid. State and non-federal programs and scholarships may have different standards for evaluating satisfactory academic progress.